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Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama present the 2012 International Women of Courage Award to former Burmese political prisoner Zin Mar Aung in March 2012 at the State Department in Washington.

Burmese political activist Khin Than Myint measures progress by nights well slept.

For so many years under Burma’s oppressive military junta, Khin Than Myint and other dissidents would stay awake long past midnight, listening for a knock on the door that could mean an arrest and decades in prison.

“But now, it’s not like that,” Khin Than Myint said, explaining the rapid change in her country. “The happiest thing for me is that we can sleep very well at night.”

Khin Than Myint and three other Burmese freedom activists discussed on Monday their country’s recent progress — and the many challenges that remain — during a panel discussion at Southern Methodist University’s Tower Center for Political Studies.

The visit, part of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women program, was co-sponsored by the George W. Bush Institute. The women — including Zin Mar Aung, winner of last year’s International Women of Courage Award — will tape interviews Tuesday to join the Bush Institute’s online video archive, the Freedom Collection.

And the event, which included SMU students and a handful of invited guests, could be a preview of the kind of programming the Bush Institute will offer when the George W. Bush Presidential Center opens at SMU in April.

The four women shared intimate details about their triumphs and travails, mixing cautious optimism about the country’s recent political and economic “opening” with a wary acknowledgement of ongoing problems.

She said she came to grips with what was supposed to be a 28-year sentence by reciting revolutionary poetry and refusing to let her 8-foot-by-8-foot cell imprison her mind.

“I gradually learned how to survive,” said Zin Mar Aung, who was released from prison in 2009. “I tried to meditate. I tried to recite [poems], to reflect.”

Khin Than Myint explained how part of her work involves teaching that women play critical roles in politics and civil societies and reversing the mindset that “women are traditionally are the supporter, follower of the man.”

That’s even with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi being freed from house arrest in 2010 and winning public office soon after.

“The role of women is very challenging at this moment, but compared to previously, it’s really better,” Khin Than Myint said.

Ma Nilar Oo explained how she’s working to find women jobs, fight the growth of prostitution and the exploitation of women, and protecti civilians who live in parts of Burma still affected by conflict.

Ma Nilar Oo also described one of the more stunning markers of Burma’s progress: the price of a cell phone. Four years ago, a cell phone cost $1,050 and more than $4,000 on the black market. But in the last six or seven months, she said, the going rate has dropped to around $200.

And Shunn Lei Swe Yee, a 21-year-old activist, talked about her efforts to engage other young people. She said Facebook has been a key tool in sharing news and organizing support, and she talked about the need to eliminate the fear of participating in the political process.

At one point in the conversation, Rena Pederson — the discussion’s moderator and a former Dallas Morning News editorial page editor — asked the four women if they were interested in running for political office or if they would rather continuing making noise on the outside.

Shunn Lei Swe Yee leaned in toward Pederson with a smile and said, “Making noise is more fun.”